Slideshow at My Place! -- Catholicism and Relaxation

Forgive the formatting. Internet Explorer is so not cooperating with me!

*Meow* (Italian cats doing whatever it is they do in Sorrento)







So, after The Targo and I tired (hah! -- as if! We're such nerds) of ancient ruins, we journeyed to the Vatican. It was too hot and I was entirely too whiny to stand in a three-hour line for the Vatican Museum, so we went into St. Peter's Basilica instead. I have never seen anything so ornate. (These pictures - without flash - don't do it justice.) The procession bottle-necked at the tomb of Pope John Paul II. There were people from at least a dozen different countries saying prayers, leaving flowers, and beseeching. It was pretty moving. (Even if you're not Catholic, I would recommend a visit, just for the historical aspects.)

After we got through the Basilica, we waited in line (only an hour this time) to get into the Vatican Museum. Honestly, but for the Sistine Chapel, I would have skipped this. It was so hot and we had these three people behind us who talked loudly, non-stop, in Espanol the.entire.time. It was like the worst static you could imagine. (Okay - imagine you're me and you're tired, cranky and roasting. Maybe that will help.) And also, they kept trying to be line cutters. I, however, was all about protecting the integrity of the line!! So, the museum was fine. The Targo and I were both a little spent by then. But the exhibits were pretty stunning. After winding through four miles of the museum, we got to the Sistine Chapel. It was so much more than pictures could ever demonstrate. Especially this picture, because it was illicit. Shh-- don't tell.

Inside St. Peter's. A fuzzy snapshot of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.





















----I loved Rome! It was an insane, bustling city. It was filthy (especially after Chicago), but the people were so dynamic and pretty. And the food! LOVE!----

On Wednesday, we went down to the Amalfi Coast. I cannot encourage you enough to visit the coast. Don't bother stopping at Naples -- just keep cruising through -- it's an industrial city with 30 percent unemployment. But it's set in one of the most picturesque places you could imagine.

We stayed in Sorrento for two days. Sorrento is known for its shopping and lemon grove. It was a gorgeous city of 20,000 citizens right on the Gulf of Naples.

A view of Mount Vesuvius from Sorrento. And our super cute loft-style hotel room.

















Two dorky Americans on a beach on the Amalfi Coast.

Unfortunately, there's no real beach in Sorrento, so we decided to take the bus to Positano, a tiny cliff-side village. (The bus ride was HELL! I'm not exaggerating. It was up a cliff along skinny roads, with people passing during blind turns. Omigosh, my blood pressure is rising just thinking about it.) It's a resort town, really. All the shops are ridiculously expensive, but the window shopping was great. And the beach... so pretty. And no... I didn't take my sunglasses off the entire trip. The future's bright, y'all.